Yungchen Lhamo with Jamshied Sharifi and Will Calhoun
Part of the Joe’s Pub We the People Series

Show Description

Since fleeing Tibet on foot in 1989, Yungchen Lhamo has emerged as the leading Tibetan vocalist on the world stage. From the quays of Sydney, Australia to the spotlight of Carnegie Hall, her a cappella performances have enchanted audiences in more than 70 countries since she began touring professionally in 1994.  Yungchen's name was given to her by a Tibetan lama when she was a baby and translates to "Goddess of Melody and Song." Since the release of her award-winning first album Tibetan Prayer, her music has met with critical praise worldwide, alternately described as "beautifully evocative," "mesmerizing," "spine-tingling," and "transcendent." Her songs take listeners on an emotive journey across plateaus and soaring over vistas, with a charge and a charisma no doubt informed by her remarkable life story.
Born in a labor camp outside Lhasa in Chinese-occupied Tibet, Yungchen began working in a carpet-weaving factory at the age of five. Tibetan singing was one of many customs banned by the Cultural Revolution, which began violently in Tibet in 1959. It was in this inhospitable setting that her grandmother taught Yungchen the devotional singing she has shared with audiences around the world.   At the end of a dangerous 1,000-mile escape across the Himalayas, Yungchen arrived in India, where she visited numerous Tibetan refugee camps and had the opportunity to meet the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. Recognizing the ability in Yungchen's performances, he encouraged her to go and share with western people the richness of Tibetan culture through the beauty of her voice.

Tonight Yungchen will be joined by Will Calhoun and Jamshied Sharifi.